


Your Paracetamol Smile

by gaypidge



Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ?? not much because i dont want to hurt The Boys, Angst, Bisexual Lance, College AU, Fluff, Gay Keith, M/M, Modern AU, bi lance, keith and lance are.... stupid, keith is a mess but so is lance, pidge is in love with cryptids, shiro is a fucking sassfactory (i hate the word sassy but there is really no other explanation), well ummm.... here we go? first ao3 fic!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 10:37:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12010962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaypidge/pseuds/gaypidge
Summary: Shiro is a fucking monster, that's one thing that Keith has always known. This is only further proven when he purposefully wakes Keith up for college on a damn Saturday, and Keith trudges all the way to campus through the bitter cold, met with an empty classroom and... his neighbour, Lance McClain?(Aka, Shiro is the best brother ever, Pidge is determined to marry Nessie, Allura is an Instagram legend and Hunk just wants someone to appreciate the cookies that he slaved over for like, an hour. Basically, Lance and Keith are neighbours but Keith never noticed because he's a dumbass. As soon as he meets Lance he can't seem to get him out of his head, and why the fuck is he playing Single Ladies at 2AM?)





	Your Paracetamol Smile

**Author's Note:**

> i totally didnt proofread or edit this so sorry in advance for any mistakes! leggo
> 
> (fic title is from a declan mckenna song)

Keith Kogane was not a morning person, that much he had always known. If you woke him up before 10am on the weekend then... well, you were practically asking to have your head removed in a grisly fashion. He liked his sleep, okay? 

That's why when he was woken up by a pillow to the face by his demon brother, he wasn't best pleased. He may have punched him in the face. Which brings us to Shiro currently rolling on the floor, clutching his nose and screeching about how Keith was "A traitor to the family! I thought we were bros!" Even though he had really honestly just barely grazed the guy... with his fist.

Keith grumbled his way out of bed and hauled Shiro up, dragging him to the kitchen despite his protests. He rooted around in the medicine bag, pulled out a wad of plasters and turned around to help his 'wise older brother'. Shiro glared at him and turned away in a huff.

"I woke up this morning and I thought to myself, Takashi Shirogane, you are going to wake up your darling brother so that he can get to class on time for once in his life. Oh, what a saint I am! But you," he hissed, "Have forsaken me to a lifetime of unendurable pain!" He placed a dramatic hand on his forehead and Keith rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me! What if I lose my sense of smell? Oh my God... Keith I can't smell anything! Unless you've showered and that's why you don't stink of B.O.... no that can't be it." 

Keith shoved him off the kitchen stool and he fell to the floor, a pile of spluttering indignation. The offended screech of "HOW DARE YOU!" was the last thing to reach him before he hurried back to his bedroom, locking the door to ensure his brother couldn't retaliate. 

Despite his façade of annoyance, Keith was always glad of his brother's antics. After their parent's accident everything had been somber and awful; he wasn't sure it would ever be okay again. But he and Shiro managed. His brother could always help him, whether he needed to laugh or cry, and for that he was eternally grateful. 

Keith stepped into his shower, still snickering. He made sure to use up as much hot water as possible for purely scientific reasons (to see if Shiro could get so offended he would explode). He towel dried his hair, threw on the first clean clothes he came across and sprinted to the door while simultaneously pulling on his boots. One day his rush to class would kill him (he had ordered Shiro to sue the college when that inevitably happened) but it was a hell of a lot better than actually waking up early. 

The wind bit at his face and pulled at his hair as he hurried to class. Keith shrunk further into his hoodie, the tip of his nose bright red with the cold and his eyes watering. He shoved his hands as deep in his pockets as physically possible and wished he had worn gloves with fingers.

After fighting the brutal weather for 20 minutes he finally arrived at the college music block and in his haste, bumped right into the door. It didn't budge and Keith eyed it warily. What the fuck? He climbed past the shrubbery to peer through a window only to be met with a dark, empty room. He squinted. He thought. He was still confused.

He turned around to march back to the door and walked straight into something. At first he thought it was a tree, but then he realised that trees aren't warm and don't usually wear jeans. When the undefinable-but-not-a-tree thing he had walked into spoke he jumped back, startled. 

And then Keith realised he had just faceplanted into a guys chest, and to make matters worse he was actually cute, and the world hated him so his cheeks turned as red as his nose. 

The man was laughing and Keith forced himself to tune into what he was saying. "Fuck, sorry dude," he gasped between giggles, "I just, I thought you might be breaking in or something? Do you normally go peering through college windows or is that just a Saturday activity?"

"I don't! Wait... Saturday?"

"Uh, yeah. Hold on," his eyes widened. "You came here for class didn't you," he collapsed into another set of guffaws and Keith felt his face heat up further, if that was even possible at this point.

"What... I... No! I knew it was Saturday! I just come here... to smoke. See!" he exclaimed, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and waving it around as proof. 

"Uh oh, not good for you man. Plus chicks do not dig it..." He trailed off as Keith lit one up.

"Fine by me," he said as he inhaled. The guy spluttered as he blew a cloud of smoke straight at him and Keith smirked, then turned with a wave and left. 

He was so going to kill Shiro. 

He was plodding along through the bitter wind, musing about how best to hurt his brother without seriously maiming him when a car pulled up next to him. Great, Keith thought, to make an already terrible day even worse he was about to get kidnapped. Wonderful.

The window rolled down and, huh, it was the guy who wasn't a tree. He smiled at him toothily. "Want a ride?"

"No," Keith scowled.

"Oh come on man, you'll catch your death in this. It's fucking freezing!" 

Keith thought about it for a second. Get in a car with someone he'd known for approximately a minute or walk home in the freezing cold. Keith was a reasonable man. He opened the car door and plopped down into the seat. And holy fuck, was this car warm. He sighed, sunk further into the seat and then turned to glare at the guy. "Are we gonna move or what?"

"Oh right! Of course, yep, motion..." His voice sounded way too high and Keith stifled a laugh. "Anyways, I guess we should go through the formalities since I'm giving you a lift home, like the true gentleman I am. I'm Lance, I live next door to you."

"Keith..." he nodded. "Wait. You live next door to me?"

Lance gaped like a fish. A really, really dumb fish. "You don't remember me?" he shrieked, and Keith winced. "Here I am, giving you a lift home like a kind and caring neighbour. There you are, being a bitchass." 

"What the fuck... you're a bitchass!" 

"Well, Keith," he narrowed his eyes at him, spitting his name like poison, "At least I remember who you are since we've been living next door to each other since... since ages ago!" 

"Since September. That's two months."

"Aha! So you do remember me!" Lance sounded way too triumphant and Keith smirked.

"No, I remember your roommate... Hunk? He brought us cookies when you moved in, man can that guy cook."

Lance did the dumb fish expression again and Keith laughed before he could stop himself. Lance's expression shifted into something else but Keith wasn't sure how to describe it. Bewildered, perhaps. 

Then Lance asked him why he was trying to go into the music block at 9am on a Saturday, and Keith launched into an explanation of how his demon brother deserved to have his nose broken, thank you very much. Lance nodded and laughed along with him, and they started talking about college and their studies. He talked about his major in history and found out that Lance took art and astrology. Despite his comment about drawing naked aliens, Keith thought it was really fucking cool (not that he would ever admit to it... Lance had a big enough head as it was). 

When they reached their apartment building Keith was almost disappointed. They climbed the stairs in silence up to the fourth floor and holy shit, Lance was unfit, wheezing as soon as they got to Floor Two. 

Despite his gasping for air, he still managed to stand outside Keith's door and berate him. "See, Keith, I live right here, literally about two centimetres away, how does someone just forget that? I've been told I'm pretty unforgettable," he winked, and Keith almost choked on air because what was happening right now? 

Lance smirked at him, and Keith turned to fumble with his door with a garbled excuse of "My brother has an appointment with death, and I have to drive him." Lance laughed at that, high and clear and holy fucking shit Keith needed to leave right now. He finally got the door open, turned to wave a quick goodbye and then fled inside. Once he had escaped he had to stop and lean against the door for a second, as if he had been the one to lose his breath on the stairs. 

"Stupid cute boys," he muttered as he made his way to the kettle. He grumbled some more, shoving his hair out of his eyes and into a ponytail while he waited for the water to boil. "Oooh, I'm Lance, I'm funny and cute and I have a nice laugh and I live right fucking next door. Idiot."

"Well, well, well," came the taunting voice of his brother. Shiro stepped into the kitchen and what the fuck, had he just been skulking in the shadows there the whole time? "My annoyance returns. And what's this? Was that a 'Sorry I used up all the hot water, oh great Shiro. I am a lummox, please accept my humble apology'? Hmm?" 

Keith scowled at him. "It's Saturday."

Shiro's mouth made an 'o' and he looked comically surprised. "Whaaaaat?" 

"You fucker! You knew! I'm never making you coffee again!" 

"Come now, Keithy, if it weren't for me you wouldn't have met the dreamboat that is this 'Lance'. So really you should be grateful."

Keith growled. Shiro pouted. "Fucking fine," he grumbled as he pulled out another mug. "But you have to promise to never say dreamboat again. Ever."

Shiro nodded solemnly and Keith shook his head, unable to believe that his life had really come to this. 

•••

It was 2am and Keith was awake. Better yet, it was 2am and Keith was about to kill his disgustingly cute neighbour. He throws his pillow over his eyes, humphing as he hears Lance hit insanely awful notes as he attempted to sing what sounded like Single Ladies. Keith swung his legs over the bed, grabbed a shirt from the floor and stormed out of his front door, quickly crossing to Lance and Hunk's apartment, rapping loudly. When he gets no response, and Lance somehow impossibly increases in volume, he twists the doorknob and frowns because what the fuck, who doesn't lock their door? 

Keith storms into the apartment, glare set firmly on his face. Lance is sat on the couch , although perhaps sat is too kind a word, his head is currently on the floor, feet high in the air. Next to his face, which looks utterly distraught, is an empty bottle of vodka and Keith can't help but wrinkle his nose at the putrid smell of alcohol that clings to the room. 

Lance chooses that moment to look up, a concoction of confusion and surprise gracing his very drunken features. "Fucking... Keith?" he slurs, and the raven haired boy can't help but feel sorry for him. Something twists at his gut and although he thinks that it's most likely pity, it feels undefinable. 

He rushes to the couch, helping Lance into a real, right way up sitting position. The other boy hiccups when asked if okay, burying his face in Keith's shirt. He's still hiccuping twenty minutes later when Keith attempts to haul him up, ultimately failing and landing ass first on the floor.

Keith blew a lock of hair out of his eyes. He heard a muttered gasp followed by the proclamation of "Mulletman...", and then Lance is next to him on the floor with laughter shaking his shoulders. His cheeks are red and dusted with freckles, eyes slightly glazed over and Keith can't help but think that he is an exceptionally pretty idiot.

The thought is surprising, though not unwarranted. Keith had eyes, for fucks sake, he could tell when a guy was especially good looking. And sat there on the floor he couldn't help but notice the way Lance's eyes crinkled at the corners, laughter warping his freckles in the warm light of his apartment. 

"Are you... okay?" Keith asked, completely outside of his area of expertise. Comforting people wasn't exactly his special skill, as Shiro would put it.

Lance sucked in a breath and Keith was scared he would start crying again, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted to happen. "I'm... fine. Hunk's out of town so I'm all alone. I'm okay though," was the reply, but the voice behind it was so small that Keith absolutely couldn't connect it with the overly confident boy he'd spoken to earlier that day. He shifted, glancing at Lance furtively to try and see if he looked at all like an alien. It would be just his luck for the cute boy next door to be abducted and replaced with an extraterrestrial being. 

Lance avoided his eyes, looking at the ceiling so searchingly that he was probably expecting it to start spilling the secrets of the universe. "My girlfriend broke up with me. For her ex, Rolo," Lance spat the name so venomously that Keith was already beginning to hate the guy despite never having met him.

"That sucks," he said, patting Lance's knee as a gesture of what he hoped was consolation. 

At Lance's lack of response Keith dragged his eyes to his face. His mouth was open, eyelashes dusting his cheeks and Keith kind of couldn't believe that he seriously just passed out. He stood up, looking back down to Lance. The edge of the coffee table is cutting into his neck as he sleeps and Keith can't stop the wince that escapes him because holy shit, that looks uncomfortable. He sighed one last time, rolling his eyes for good measure, before bending down and picking up the drunken mess that was his neighbour. He tried to get him back to his room without jostling him too much, but Lance cracked one eye open and smiled at him. Keith set him on the bed as gently as possible, turning to leave. The hand that shot out to grab his wrist was soft, so featherlight that he almost didn't feel it.

"Stay," Lance whispered from behind him. "Please, I... I don't want to be alone." His cheeks flushed pink and in the semidarkness he looked almost bashful. Keith was having serious difficulty connecting this Lance, drunken and sensitive, with the Lance he had known hours earlier, cocky and always cracking jokes.

"I, um, okay," Keith muttered, scratching at the back of his neck. Nice going Kogane, could you literally be anymore awkward without exploding. "I'll just, yeah," he went to settle himself onto the floor and Lance groaned above him.

"Stop being dense," he patted the space next to him and wow, okay, this was happening. Keith was actually going to sleep in the bed of a cute boy, in nothing but his boxers and a shirt. 

"Okay," he said, voice sounding thick and sluggish even to his own ears. He made his way over to the other side of Lance's bed, lying stiff as a plank resolutely on top of the covers. "Um, goodnight Lance."

Lance was already asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!!! If you've made it to the end of the chapter then 1. congrats!! 2. don't be afraid to push that lil kudos button right there.. maybe even leave a comment saying what you think? ;) 
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the disturbing lack of Hunk, Pidge and Allura in this chapter, I promise they're coming. Let's all just take this moment to appreciate how OOC Shiro is because I don't even know... how the hell that came about. Um. I guess without the whole captured by aliens thing he's a lot less serious? And by that I mean I just wanted to write Shiro as the most annoying brother ever in this chapter.... whatever man
> 
> Thanks for reading!! xo


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